feat: send Discord notification before memory compaction

OpenClaw's memory flush + compaction blocks the agent for 30-60s.
Users see no response and think the bot crashed. This adds a
fire-and-forget Discord message (random Biden-flavored quip) right
before compaction starts so they know Craig is still alive.

Also updates README with bundle patch docs and corrects EC2 IP/size
from the earlier t3.small → t3.large resize.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: sragss

.claude/patches.md

@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# OpenClaw Bundle Patches
+
+We patch the npm-installed OpenClaw bundle directly (not the source) to fix issues
+and add features that upstream doesn't support yet. Each patch is an idempotent
+bash script in `deploy/` that runs automatically during deploys via
+`.github/workflows/deploy.yml`.
+
+## deploy/patch-openclaw.sh — Disable billing error false positives
+
+**Problem:** OpenClaw's `isBillingErrorMessage()` matches patterns like `/\b402\b/`,
+"payment required", "credit balance", etc. in ALL outbound text. Because Craig uses
+x402 MCP tools that return real HTTP 402 responses and payment-related text, this
+triggers false "billing error" warnings constantly.
+
+**Fix:** Makes `isBillingErrorMessage()` return `false` unconditionally. Actual
+Anthropic API billing errors still surface as raw error text — they just don't get
+the misleading rewrite.
+
+**Target:** `$OPENCLAW_DIR/dist/pi-embedded-helpers-*.js`
+
+**Sentinel:** `function isBillingErrorMessage(raw) { return false;` (checks for
+already-applied patch via grep)
+
+## deploy/patch-compaction-notify.sh — Discord notification before memory compaction
+
+**Problem:** OpenClaw's memory flush + compaction cycle blocks the agent for 30-60+
+seconds. During this time, Discord users see no response and may think the bot crashed.
+
+**Fix:** Injects a fire-and-forget `sendMessageDiscord()` call right before compaction
+starts. Picks a random Biden-flavored message from a 10-item pool so users know Craig
+is still alive.
+
+**Target:** The bundle file containing `runMemoryFlushIfNeeded` (e.g.
+`$OPENCLAW_DIR/dist/reply-DptDUVRg.js`)
+
+**Anchor:** `let memoryCompactionCompleted = false;` — code is injected immediately
+after this line.
+
+**Sentinel:** `__COMPACTION_NOTIFY_PATCHED__` comment in the injected code.
+
+**Key design decisions:**
+- Fire-and-forget: no `await`, promise has `.catch(() => {})` — never blocks compaction
+- Outer `try/catch` swallows any synchronous errors
+- Only fires when `Provider === "discord"` and `OriginatingTo` is truthy
+- `sendMessageDiscord` is already in scope in the same bundle file
+
+## Adding a new patch
+
+1. Create `deploy/patch-<name>.sh` following the existing pattern:
+   - `set -euo pipefail`
+   - Locate the target file by searching for a known function/string
+   - Check a sentinel to ensure idempotency
+   - Apply the patch (prefer `node -e` for complex transforms, `sed -i` for simple ones)
+   - Print a status message
+2. Add `bash deploy/patch-<name>.sh` to `.github/workflows/deploy.yml` before the
+   `systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway` line
+3. Document it in this file

.github/workflows/deploy.yml

@@ -18,5 +18,6 @@ jobs:
             cd ~/Code/merit-systems/CraigClaw
             git pull origin main
             bash deploy/patch-openclaw.sh
+            bash deploy/patch-compaction-notify.sh
             systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway
             echo "Deployed $(git log --oneline -1)"

README.md

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ Craig2 is Merit-Systems' AI agent, powered by [OpenClaw](https://github.com/open
            │                              │
            ▼                              │
 ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────┐
-│              EC2 (100.31.3.155)                          │
+│              EC2 (100.31.229.192)                          │
 │    ~/Code/merit-systems/CraigClaw/  ← git clone         │
 │                                                         │
 │    OpenClaw daemon reads workspace files at session      │
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ The key insight: OpenClaw's workspace directory is just a git clone of this repo
 Discord message (@Craig2)
        |
        v
-OpenClaw daemon (EC2 100.31.3.155)
+OpenClaw daemon (EC2 100.31.229.192)
        |
        +--> Loads SOUL.md, AGENTS.md, TOOLS.md, MEMORY.md, IDENTITY.md
        |    (these define Craig's personality and behavior)
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway
 
 **Fresh setup:**
 
-1. Launch an EC2 instance (t3.small, Ubuntu 24.04, 25GB gp3)
+1. Launch an EC2 instance (t3.large, Ubuntu 24.04, 25GB gp3)
 2. SSH in and run the setup script:
    ```bash
    ssh ubuntu@<ec2-ip>
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ Changes pushed to `main` in this repo auto-deploy to EC2 via GitHub Actions.
 
 | Secret | Value |
 |--------|-------|
-| `EC2_HOST` | EC2 public IP (e.g., `100.31.3.155`) |
+| `EC2_HOST` | EC2 Elastic IP (`100.31.229.192`) |
 | `EC2_SSH_KEY` | Private SSH key for the `ubuntu` user |
 
 **Deploy flow:**
@@ -336,14 +336,24 @@ Changes pushed to `main` in this repo auto-deploy to EC2 via GitHub Actions.
 2. GitHub Actions triggers (`.github/workflows/deploy.yml`)
 3. SSHes into EC2 via `appleboy/ssh-action`
 4. Runs `git pull origin main` to update the workspace
-5. Runs `systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway` to reload Craig
-6. Craig's next session uses the updated files
+5. Runs bundle patches (see below)
+6. Runs `systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway` to reload Craig
+7. Craig's next session uses the updated files
+
+**Bundle patches** (applied automatically during deploy):
+
+| Script | What it does |
+|--------|-------------|
+| `deploy/patch-openclaw.sh` | Disables `isBillingErrorMessage()` — prevents false billing-error warnings triggered by x402 HTTP 402 responses |
+| `deploy/patch-compaction-notify.sh` | Injects a Discord notification before memory compaction so users know Craig is still alive during the 30-60s pause |
+
+Patches are idempotent and safe to re-run. See `.claude/patches.md` for full details.
 
 ## Operational Runbook
 
 ```bash
 # SSH in
-ssh -i ~/.ssh/craigclaw-key.pem ubuntu@100.31.3.155
+ssh -i ~/.ssh/craigclaw-key.pem ubuntu@100.31.229.192
 
 # Check status
 openclaw status --deep
@@ -384,13 +394,13 @@ mcporter call x402 get_wallet_info
 
 | Resource | Monthly Cost |
 |----------|-------------|
-| EC2 t3.small (2GB RAM) | ~$15 |
+| EC2 t3.large (8GB RAM) | ~$60 |
 | EBS 25GB gp3 | ~$2 |
 | Anthropic API (Claude Opus 4.6) | Pay-per-use |
 | x402 API calls | Pay-per-call (USDC on Base) |
 | GitHub App | Free |
 | Discord bot | Free |
-| **Infrastructure total** | **~$17/month** |
+| **Infrastructure total** | **~$62/month** |
 
 ## Related Repos
 

deploy/patch-compaction-notify.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Patch OpenClaw to send a Discord notification before memory compaction.
+#
+# Memory flush + compaction blocks the agent for 30-60+ seconds.
+# This injects a fire-and-forget Discord message right before compaction
+# starts so users know the bot is still alive.
+#
+# Safe to run multiple times (idempotent).
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+OPENCLAW_DIR="${npm_config_prefix:-$HOME/.npm-global}/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist"
+SENTINEL="__COMPACTION_NOTIFY_PATCHED__"
+
+if [ ! -d "$OPENCLAW_DIR" ]; then
+  echo "[patch-compaction-notify] OpenClaw dist not found at $OPENCLAW_DIR, skipping"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# Find the bundle file containing runMemoryFlushIfNeeded
+TARGET=""
+for f in "$OPENCLAW_DIR"/*.js; do
+  if grep -q 'runMemoryFlushIfNeeded' "$f" 2>/dev/null; then
+    TARGET="$f"
+    break
+  fi
+done
+
+if [ -z "$TARGET" ]; then
+  echo "[patch-compaction-notify] Could not find bundle with runMemoryFlushIfNeeded, skipping"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# Check if already patched
+if grep -q "$SENTINEL" "$TARGET" 2>/dev/null; then
+  echo "[patch-compaction-notify] Already patched (no changes needed)"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+ANCHOR='let memoryCompactionCompleted = false;'
+
+if ! grep -q "$ANCHOR" "$TARGET" 2>/dev/null; then
+  echo "[patch-compaction-notify] Anchor string not found in $TARGET, skipping"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# Inject notification code after the anchor line
+INJECT='/* __COMPACTION_NOTIFY_PATCHED__ */ try { const _p = params.sessionCtx.Provider?.trim().toLowerCase(); const _to = params.sessionCtx.OriginatingTo; if (_p === "discord" && _to) { const _ms = ["One sec folks, I gotta clean my ears real quick. Not a joke.","Hold on \u2014 Jill\u2019s calling. You know I can\u2019t ignore Jill.","Anyway anyway anyway \u2014 gimme a minute, I\u2019m reorganizing the filing cabinet up here.","Look, I\u2019m not gonna lie to you \u2014 I need a moment. The ol\u2019 memory ain\u2019t what it used to be.","Brief intermission, folks. Even Biden needs a bathroom break.","*whispers* I\u2019m compacting. Don\u2019t tell anyone.","Number one... actually hold that thought. Gotta defrag real quick.","Back when I was a young process on a 486, we didn\u2019t NEED compaction. But here we are.","Jill told me to take a breather. She\u2019s always right. One sec.","Let me be clear \u2014 I\u2019ll be right back. That\u2019s not hyperbole."]; sendMessageDiscord(_to, _ms[Math.floor(Math.random() * _ms.length)], { accountId: params.sessionCtx.AccountId }).catch(() => {}); } } catch (_e) {}'
+
+node -e "
+const fs = require('fs');
+const file = process.argv[1];
+const anchor = process.argv[2];
+const inject = process.argv[3];
+let src = fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf8');
+const idx = src.indexOf(anchor);
+if (idx === -1) { console.error('Anchor not found'); process.exit(1); }
+const insertAt = idx + anchor.length;
+src = src.slice(0, insertAt) + '\n' + inject + '\n' + src.slice(insertAt);
+fs.writeFileSync(file, src);
+" "$TARGET" "$ANCHOR" "$INJECT"
+
+echo "[patch-compaction-notify] Patched $(basename "$TARGET") — compaction notifications enabled"